BARBERTON - Community Health Workers (CHW) and Public Health Workers (PHW), affiliated to Nehawu, marched to the Ehlanzeni District Office last Friday to hand over a memorandum of demands.

Sr Gugu Sibiya, supervisor of the Mbombela South PHW, accepted the memorandum.

The memorandum stated they demanded corruption to end where employment is concerned.

Andrew Zwane, branch chairperson for PHW, said one of its members, Nomusa Winlove Lembethe, was appointed as a general worker in January this year, but has not yet received her salary.

He said they demand that Lembethe be issued with a Persal number and that she be paid all outstanding wages due to her within 48 hours.

Zwane further said the CHW worked tirelessly and selflessly under the Covid-19 programme, but that they had also not yet been paid.

“They (CHW) worked beyond their normal office hours and all weekends since May 1. We are, however, very shocked and frustrated to discover that all other categories of workers have been paid all their overtime except for us. We hereby demand today that we also be paid all our overtime for extra hours worked, as was done with other categories,” Zwane read from the memorandum.

He said CHW members also demanded to be issued with appointment letters and job descriptions to avoid being misused.

“The CHWs are the only employees functioning and working without appointment letters and job descriptions. The absences of job descriptions have opened us up to abuse from certain senior officials who expect us to clean windows and other areas of their facilities,” continued Zwane.

He said they submitted their demands in good faith, and hoped it will be received similarly, too. Zwane further said any failure to meet their demands’ deadline will result in the escalation of their frustrations.

Sr Sibiya said she will refer the memorandum to the relevant managers at district level.

Editor: Anchen Coetzee
Written by: Richard Nkosi
Subeditor: Wahl Lessing